Earphone



United States Patent U.S. Cl. 179-1 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An earphone is constructed to receive a microphone boom and allow 360 degrees rotation between the two.

This invention relates to earphones and more particularly to an earphone head set provided with a microphone boom.

An object of the present invention is to provide an earphone head set with a microphone boom which has the facility to rotate through repetitive three hundred and sixty-degree cycles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an earphone with a structure for quickly attaching or removing a microphone boom.

In the past an earphone provided with a microphone boom, when used for educational purposes in classrooms, was wilfully destroyed by children who rotated the microphone boom through 360 degree cycles in relation to the earphone. Rotation destroyed the wire connections and the means uniting the microphone boom with the earphone. An object of the present invention is to prevent this type of destruction.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specification and claims.

With reference to the drawings in which similar characters of reference refer to like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an earphone head set provided with a microphone boom.

FIGURE 2 is a right side view of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical circuit employed in the head set and microphone boom.

Reference is now made to the drawings, in which an earphone head set is, generally, indicated by reference numeral 10, and a microphone boom is, generally, indicated by reference numeral 11.

The earphone provided with the structure to accommodate the microphone boom 11 will now be described. It consists of an ear cup 12 having a housing seat 13, a circular ridge 14, a rear wall 15, a cavity wall 16, a cavity 17, a chamber 18 and a jack socket Wall 19. A boom support 20 having a hollow interior, defined by a base 21 is provided with a circular groove 22. Screws 23, by way of illustration, fasten boom support 20 to ear cup 12 with base 21 enegaging circular ridge 14. A rotatable cap 24, provided with a circular tongue 25 and a depression 26 defined by an interior surface 27, is rotatively mounted to boom support 20, with circular tongue 25 engaging circular groove 22. A metal washer 28 is embodied in base 21. A bushing 30, illustrated as an eyelet rivet, is located in a core provided in washer 28, boom support 20 and rotatable cap 24. The opposite ends of eyelet rivet 30 are turned over to rotatively connect ear ice cup 12 and boom support 20 to rotatable cap 24. An insulating plug 31 is fastened to eyelet rivet by means of a drive fit. A jack socket 33 is located in cavity Wall 16 by means of a bore provided for that purpose. A washer 34 and a nut 35 are rotatively connected to jack socket 33. A resilient prong 36, electrically conductive, is surrounded at the base end with an electrical insulating material collar 37. Collar 37 is attached to jack socket 33 and is held in position between a flanged end 38 on jack socket 33 and cavity wall 16 by means of washer 34 and nut 35. A sleeve 40 is fastened on one end in plug 31 and is supported on the other end in jack socket 33. A liner 41 of insulating material is located within sleeve 40. An electrically conductive jack 42 comprising an enlarged head on the end of a central rod, is fastened on one end of the central rod in plug 31 and is insulated along the central rod length by means of liner 41. The enlarged head of jack 42 engages resilient prong 36 in electrically conductive relationship.

A boom 50, illustrated as being hollow, is provided on one end with a microphone housing 51, and is fastened on the other end to rotatable cap 24 through a boss 52 integrally formed in cap 24.

A microphone consists of a housing 51 provided with a chamber 53 defined by a base 54, a seat 55 and an end wall 56. A magnet 57 provided with a circular space 58 is fastened to base 54. A voice coil 60 is located in circular space 58. A vibrating diaphragm 61, provided with a circular hollow collar 62, is supported on the outer ends by seat 55, with collar 62 located within voice coil 60. A cover 63 provided with perforations 64 is fastened to housing 51 by means of a force fit with end wall 56, and in this way holds vibrating diaphragm 61 in position.

A wire 70, provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened on one end at 72 to jack 42 and on the other end at 73 to voice coil 60.

A second wire 71 provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened on one end at 74 to sleeve 40 and on the other end to voice coil 60 at 75.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 3 and 5, wherein is illustrated an earphone, generally indicated by reference numeral 1. A housing 51A is provided with a chamber 53A defined by a base 54A, a seat 55A and an end wall 56A. A magnet 57A provided with a circular space 58A is fastened to base 54A. A voice coil 60A is located in circular space 58A. A vibrating diaphragm 61A, provided with a circular hollow collar 62A, is supported on the outer ends by seat 55A, with collar 62A located within voice coil 60A. A cover 63A provided with perforations 64A is fastened to housing 51A by means of a force fit with end wall 56A, and in this way holds vibrating diaphragm 61A in position. Housing 51A is provided with a rim 76A. A hollow circular collar 77A fabricated from soft material such as sponge rubber is fastened on one side to rim 76A and on the opposite side to ear cup 12 to fasten housing 51A to ear cup 12 and provide acoustical isolation therebetween. Housing 51A is thereby partially located within collar 77A. A circular ridge 78 may be integrally formed in ear cup 12 to add location and support to collar 77A.

Ear cup 12 is provided with a circular pad 80. Two electrically conductive terminal plates 81, 82, electrically isolated from each other are fastened to circular pad 80. (See FIGURE 5 A wire 83, provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened on one end at 84 to terminal plate 81 and on the other end at 85 to voice coil 60A.

A rectangularly shaped terminal block fabricated from electrical insulating material is provided with a hollow core 91 and has four electrical contacts adjacent hollow core 91. Contact 92 is a plate of spring metal with turned in opposite edges 93, 94 which are fastened in block 90 and are fastened therein. Contact 95 is a U-shaped electrically conductive wire fastened in block 90 with the legs of the U shape projecting'into hollow core 91. Contact 96 is also a U shape electrically conductive wire with the legs of the U shape projecting into the hollow core 91. An electrically conductive ring 97 is fastened in hollow core 91.

Terminal block 90 is fastened to jacket socket wall 19. A jack 100 fabricated from electrical insulated material is provided with four electrically conductive rings electrically insulated from each other and electrically connected to an electrical cable 101.

Electrically conductive ring 102 is provided with a dome adapted to engage spring metal contact 92. Ring 102 is provided with a T-shaped stem 103 which is fastened in jack 100.

Electrically conductive ring 105 is provided with a stem 106 which is fastened in jack 100 and is adapted to engage contact 95.

Electrically conductive ring 107 is provided with a stern 108 which is fastened in jack 100 and is adapted to engage contact 96.

Electrically conductive ring 110 is fastened in jack 100 and is adapted to engage contact 97.

A wire 111 provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened on one end at 112 to sleeve 40 and on the other end at 113 to contact 95.

A wire 115 provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened on one end at 116 to one end of voice coil 60A and on the other end at 117 to ring contact 97.

A wire 118 provided with electrically insulated covering is fastened at one end at 120 to terminal plate 82 and at the other end at 121 to contact 96.

A complete earphone head set with microphone boom has been described. If it is desired to have two earphones on a head set as illustrated in FIGURE 1, terminal plates 81, 82 are each, respectively, provided with jack clamps 125, 126.

A connection plug 127 provided with jacks 128, 130 which are adapted to be removably secured to jack clamps 125, 126, respectively, are connected to an earphone, generally indicated by reference numeral 2. Earphone 2 is identical in every structural detail to earphone 1 and the respective parts in earphone 2 bear the legend B in place of A as in earphone 1.

A wire 131 provided with electrically conductive covering is fastened at one end at 132 to jack 128 and on the other end at 133 to one end of voice coil 60B.

A wire 134 provided with electrically conductive covering is fastened at one end at 135 to jack 130 and on the other end at 136 to the other end of voice coil 60B.

Thus, it will be seen with reference to FIGURES 3, and diagram FIGURE 6 that four electrical conduits 103A, 106A, 107A and 110A leading to jack 100 and electrically connected, respectively, to electrical contacts 103, 106, 107 and 110 are removably connected to earphones 1 and 2 and to the microphone, generally indicated by reference numeral 5, which is removably attached to earphone 1 through jack 42. It will also be observed that rotatable cap 24 may be rotated repeatedly through a cycle of 360 degrees due to the nature of the construction of jack 42 engaging spring tip electrical contact 36.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given Without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. An earphone provided with a detachable and repetitively rotatable microphone consisting of an ear cup having a jack socket wall, a boom support, means fastening said boom support to said ear cup, a rotatable cap, a bushing rotatively fastening said rotatable cap to said boom support, an insulating plug, means fastening said insulating plug to said bushing, an electrically conductive jack socket, means fastening said jack socket to said jack socket wall, a resilient prong electrically conductive, means insulatingly fastening said resilient prong to said jack socket, an electrically conductive sleeve fastened on one end to said insulating plug and slidably mounted on the other end in said jack socket, a liner of insulating material located within said sleeve, an electrically conductive jack with an enlarged head on the end of a central rod, said central rod located within said liner, said jack electrically insulated from said sleeve, with means fastening an end of said central rod to said plug and with said enlarged head engageable and disengageable with said resilient prong, and with said sleeve slidable in said jack socket, a boom provided on one end with a microphone, means fastening said boom to said rotatable cap, said microphone having a voice coil with two electrical conduits, means connecting one of said conduits to said sleeve, and a second means connecting the other of said conduits to said jack, and a first electrical conduit attached to said sleeve and a second electrical conduit attached to said resilient prong to provide an electrical circuit leading from said microphone and through said sleeve and jack to a source of electrical energy.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 being further characterized by: an earphone having a voice coil, a first conduit leading from one end of said voice coil and a second conduit leading from the other end of said voice coil, a first terminal plate electrically conductive, electrical insulating means fastening said first terminal plate to said ear cup, 21 second terminal plate electrically conductive, electrical insulating means fastening said second terminal plate to said ear cup, said second conduit fastened to said second terminal plate, said first conduit leading to a source of electrical energy, and a shunt electrical conduit connecting said first terminal plate with said second terminal plate and another electrical conduit connecting said second terminal plate to said source of electrical energy.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 being further characterized by: a second earphone having a voice coil, said shunt electrical conduit connecting one end of said voice coil to said first terminal plate and the other end of said voice coil to the second terminal plate to electrically unite said first mentioned earphone to said second earphone.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 2 being further characterized by: a terminal block fabricated from electrically insulated material and having a hollow core and provided with a first contact, a second contact, a third contact, and a fourth contact, a jack fabricated from electrically insulated material and provided with four electrically conductive contacts, engageable and disengageable respectively, with said first contact, said second contact, said third contact, and said fourth contact, means fastening said terminal block in said ear cup, and means fastening said first electrical conduit to said first contact, and a second means fastening said second electrical conduit to said second contact, a third means fastening said first conduit to said third contact, and a fourth means fastening said another electrical conduit to said fourth contact.

5. In combination, an earphone, a microphone boom, a microphone carried by said microphone boom, and jack means mounting said microphone boom on said earphone and allowing rotation through repetitive three hundred and sixty degree cycles between said earphone and said boom, said jack means further providing electrical transmission from said microphone.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 including first conductor means connected to said microphone and extending into said microphone boom with first conductor means being rotatable with said microphone boom, second conductor means supported by said earphone, said first and second conductor means being mounted for continuous electrical contact with each other during rotation of said microphone boom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,069,126 1/ 1937 Asklund 339-8 2,687,515 8/1954 Booth 339-8 3,311,713 3/1967 Knuebel 179-156 3,190,974 6/1965 Vasicek 179-156 6 7/1961 Hothem 179-156 5/1937 Foster 179-189 FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1962 Great Britain. 3/1962 Great Britain.

KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

R. P. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

